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The Post-Apartheid South African Military: Transforming with the Nation

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The Post-Apartheid South African Military: Transforming with the Nation Evolutions10a.qxd 2005/09/28 12:08 PM Page 235 CHAPTER NINE The post-apartheid South African military: Transforming with the nation Len le Roux INTRODUCTION After a long struggle for freedom, South Africa in 1994 finally joined the community of nations as a democratic state. Since then the country has undergone fundamental transformation from the closed and isolated apartheid state to a state that is playing an increasingly important role in international, regional and sub-regional affairs. Internally, much has been done to advance reconciliation and nation building, and government has been transformed to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, as well as to focus all spheres of government on improved service delivery. The South African Department of Defence (DoD) and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have also been substantially transformed from the defence organisation of the apartheid military era. This transformation focused on the integration of former combatant forces into one national force, making the DoD representative of the people of South Africa, ensuring transparency in defence management and accountability to civil authority, establishing greater efficiency and aligning defence policy with the Constitution, international law and national culture. This chapter focuses on the creation and evolution of the South African DoD and SANDF in the period leading up to and after the first democratic elections in South Africa, and the birth of the ‘new’ South Africa in 1994. It presents insight into the challenges that faced the South African DoD post-apartheid, and the way in which these were met. 235 Evolutions10a.qxd 2005/09/28 12:08 PM Page 236 236 Evolutions & Revolutions BACKGROUND GEOGRAPHY1 South Africa is situated at the southernmost part of the African continent and has common boundaries with the republics of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, the kingdom of Swaziland and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. The country covers an area of about 1,220,000 km² and is home to some 43 million people. Much of South Africa is situated on a high plateau (1,500 m above sea level), surrounded by a coastal mountain range and coastal plains. South Africa is generally dry, with 65% of the country having an annual rainfall of less than 500 mm. The climate, however, varies from arid in the west to Mediterranean in the south-western Cape, sub-tropical in the eastern coastal plains and continental on the plateau. POLITICAL EVOLUTION2 South Africa’s modern political history is dominated by the period of European settlement, which started when the Dutch East India Company set up a station in Table Bay (Cape Town) in 1652, to provision passing ships. Later in 1795, the British occupied the Cape as a strategic base, controlling the sea route to the east. These occupations soon led to the expansion of European settlement into the interior and to conflict for land, natural resources, livestock and labour. By 1854 South Africa was divided into the two Boer republics: the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State; and the two British colonies, Natal and the Cape. In the Boer republics the principles of racially exclusive citizenship were absolute, despite their reliance on black labour, while in the colonies more liberal policies prevailed. The discovery of diamonds and gold coincided with a new era of imperialism, and the scramble for Africa brought imperial power and influence to bear in Southern Africa as never before. This led to the South African War, which lasted from October 1899 to May 1902. In the Treaty of Vereeniging that ended the war, the British agreed to leave the issue of rights for Africans to be decided by a future self-governing (white) authority. This led to the creation of a white-ruled dominion by uniting the former Boer republics with Natal and the Cape into the Union of South Africa that came into being on 31 May 1910. The most important priority was to re-establish white control over the land and to force the Evolutions10a.qxd 2005/09/28 12:08 PM Page 237 South Africa 237 Africans into wage labour. These events, together with increasing segregationist policies, caused great dissatisfaction among black South Africans and led to the formation of the African National Congress (ANC) as early as 1912. The ANC became the most important organisation for black liberation and empowerment, drawing together traditional authorities and the educated elite in a common cause. APARTHEID AND THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE After the National Party (NP) came to power in South Africa (following the whites-only elections of 1948) it soon instituted the ideology of apartheid that brought an even more rigorous and authoritarian approach than the segregationist policies of previous governments. This policy led to increasing discrimination and disenfranchisement of people of colour. Apartheid met with growing black resistance and hostility, and this in turn led to such events as the anti-pass law demonstration in Sharpeville in 1960, which was ruthlessly put down by apartheid security forces, leading to the deaths of 69 demonstrators. Soon afterwards, the ANC formed its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and embarked on a campaign of limited sabotage that resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of Nelson Mandela and other leaders. According to Rocky Williams: The final decision to embark on an armed struggle by the ANC was not a decision reached easily by the Congress Alliance nor was it a strategy that necessarily enjoyed the support of all sectors of the Alliance itself. It was both the perceived limitations of previous peaceful protest, the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, the intransigence displayed by the regime in declaring the White Republic in 1961 and the banning of the African National Congress and the Pan African Congress in the same year that led to the formation of MK.3 The imprisonment of these leaders and other repressive actions caused increasing unrest and eventually led to fully-fledged armed struggle during the 1970s and 1980s. Externally, South Africa was also becoming increasingly isolated from the world community, and the corresponding political, social and economic pressures combined with internal mass action and the armed struggle, forced the apartheid regime to re-think its political policies. Evolutions10a.qxd 2005/09/28 12:08 PM Page 238 238 Evolutions & Revolutions ADVENT OF INDEPENDENCE The NP government embarked on a series of reforms, which culminated when President F W de Klerk un-banned the liberation movements and released political prisoners, notably Nelson Mandela, in February 1990. This led to a long, difficult negotiation process and in April 1994 South Africa held its first democratic election under an Interim Constitution (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993, Act 200 of 1993).4 The ANC emerged with a 62% majority. Its main opposition came from the NP, which gained 20% of the vote nationally. The ANC-led government embarked on a programme to promote the reconstruction and development of the country and its institutions. This called for the simultaneous pursuit of democratisation and socio-economic change, as well as reconciliation and the building of a consensus founded on the commitment to improving the lives of all South Africans, in particular the poor. Converting democratic ideals into practice required, among others, initiating a radical overhaul of the machinery of government at every level, towards service delivery, openness and a culture of human rights. A significant milestone of democratisation during the five-year period of the Mandela presidency was the constitution-making process, which delivered a document that is highly regarded in the democratic world.5 The second democratic election, held on 2 June 1999, saw the ANC increase its majority to a point just short of two-thirds of the total vote. South Africa entered into the post-Mandela era under the presidency of Thabo Mbeki. President Mbeki promised a tough, hands-on managerial style, geared to efficiency and delivery. In particular, the Mbeki administration committed itself to the development of Africa based on democracy, good governance, and a co-operative approach to resolving the political and economic challenges across the continent.6 This is clearly demonstrated in the leadership role that South Africa has taken in the establishment and functioning of the African Union (AU) and in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). NEPAD forms the basis of South African foreign policy. In 2004, South Africa celebrated its tenth year of democracy with, among others, its third democratic poll, from which the ANC emerged with a clear two-thirds majority. Once again the ANC government has committed itself to improved service delivery by all spheres of government and to working towards the economic and social development of Africa, as well as to peace and stability on the continent. Evolutions10a.qxd 2005/09/28 12:08 PM Page 239 South Africa 239 FORM OF GOVERNMENT7 South Africa is a federal state, governed by a democratically elected government based on universal adult suffrage. The South African government is constituted as national, provincial and local spheres, which are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated. The powers of the legislative authorities, executive authorities and judicial authorities are separate from one another. Parliament is the legislative authority of South Africa and has the power to make laws for the country in accordance with the Constitution. Parliament comprises the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. Parliamentary sittings are open to the public. Since the establishment of the new Parliament in 1994, a number of steps have been taken to make it more accessible. This has been done to make the institution more accountable, as well as to motivate and facilitate public participation in the legislative processes. Two of these steps are the parliamentary website (http://www.parliament.gov.za/), which encourages comments and feedback from the public, and the parliamentary channel on television that broadcasts live coverage of Parliament and parliamentary committee sittings.
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